FEATURED ARTICLES ABOUT BOARDWALK - PAGE 3

By Linda Geeson and Linda Geeson,Ocean City Bureau of The Sun | July 14, 1991

No matter where visitors stay in Ocean City, they seem to make at least one pilgrimage to the boardwalk. To some, the boardwalk's function is simply to supply everything the happy beachgoer needs -- from beach towels to boogie boards. For others, especially on bad beach days, the boardwalk is an attraction in itself, with diversions from arcade games to souvenir shopping.This year, though, the 100-year-old resort landmark looks a little different. You'll find that the 2.8-mile boardwalk now is 32 feet wide (before it was only that wide below 10th Street)

Spray-paint artist Mark Chase typically spends his summers in Ocean City along the boardwalk where he creates sci-fi landscapes in a matter of minutes, spraying and smudging to pulsating music as crowds gather. He earns his living as a showman, taking tips for his work. But his most important performance this year may be in Baltimore's federal court, where he's waging a constitutional battle that could change the face of the boardwalk. Chase filed a lawsuit in June alleging that restrictions on street performers and artists along the three-mile stretch violate their civil rights.

BELMAR, N.J. -- It has been more than four years since a ferocious northeaster raked the towns along the coast of New Jersey, the storm's 90-mph winds and pounding surf destroying whole sections of boardwalk.Afterward, some hard-hit towns did what they always did: They simply rebuilt their boardwalks. Not rebuilding was not an option in those towns, which rely on tourists for whom boardwalks are as emblematic of the New Jersey shore as salt water taffy.But other towns, faced with declining state aid and scarcer local tax dollars, began to consider new approaches.

The Fourth of July just isn't a proper day without popcorn covered with corn syrup.The exquisite aroma of this confection floated down the boardwalk at Rehoboth Beach, Del. By my seventh summer, I was tall enough to just see over the counter and watch the ladies bring buckets of newly exploded kernels to a stainless steel table for a bath in caramel glop. After an quick airing under the brass blades of an electric fan, it went into black-and-white boxes.July 4 was the real opening day at the ocean.

For the swarms of teen-agers hitting the Ocean City boardwalk this month, getting a nose, navel or tongue pierced has never been easier. As other East Coast resorts have restricted body-piercing businesses over the past few years, many operations have moved into this beach town, driving up the number from a handful to more than 20. The explosive growth is raising concerns among authorities about the industry, from underage piercing to sanitary conditions and...

Oh, fudge. Holy moly. Dagnabbit. Whether you've been bitten by a crab, or spent six hours snarled in Bay Bridge traffic, Ocean City hopes you'll mind your language. Town officials will soon be posting signs along the boardwalk asking visitors to refrain from cursing. "We just want to remind everyone that even when they're on vacation, they need to be courteous to others," said Ocean City Mayor Rick Meehan. The signs, which read "No profanity please," will be posted on every block of the boardwalk before the summer season begins, city officials say. The Town Council approved the measure this week in an effort to preserve Ocean City 's reputation as a destination for families with children.

By Robert Hanley and Robert Hanley,NEW YORK TIMES NEWS SERVICE | October 27, 2002

VERNON TOWNSHIP, N.J. - For those who trek from peak to peak along the Appalachian Trail, this is a definite low point. Aptly called the Pochuck Quagmire, a broad valley of empty meadow and soggy marshland here has long forced hikers to detour and dodge traffic along 2 1/2 miles of shoulderless highway. But now, thanks to years of hard work by a small army of volunteers, the quagmire has been turned into a scenic panorama that is attracting even casual strollers. State officials recently dedicated the new mile-long elevated boardwalk and a handsome 144-foot timber suspension bridge that traverse the meadow and the marsh.

Golly gee whillikers! Looks like we'll be minding our mouths at the beach this summer. The Town of Ocean City will be posting signs along the boardwalk this spring asking people to refrain from using foul language. "We really pride ourselves on being a family resort, a first class resort for families to come to visit," said Ocean City spokeswoman Jessica Waters. So what happens if you drop your soft ice cream and drop an F-bomb too? "There will not be any kind of punishment for those that curse on the boardwalk," said Waters. The town council approved the signs at its Monday meeting, Waters said. Councilwoman Mary Knight proposed posting the gentle reminders after spotting similar signs in Viriginia Beach.

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. - The beach here is a wide-open secret. Clean and pretty, it is neither too broad nor too narrow, complemented by an ocean that plays frisky but not rough. Yet it is never crowded, even when the boardwalk becomes so thick with tourists that they look like one giant organism.For the people who live under the boardwalk, such a roomy beach is quite a blessing. It lets them poke in and out of their niches without attracting much notice. Alice B. and her two sons, for instance, had a whole chunk of surf and sand to themselves the other day when they left their encampment under the Million Dollar Pier.

OCEAN CITY - Location, location, location. Location: 25th Street and the boardwalk. In the late 1960s, Taylor's parents, Barbara and Sidney Taylor, sat on a wooden bench and watched their seven children play in front of what is now the Crystal Beach Hotel. By the 1980s, they watched their grandchildren play there. At sundown throughout those years, Taylor's father might sit on the family bench with his Bud Light, while his mother might have her martini. "Yes, illegal drinking in public," Taylor says, chuckling.